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(ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

.W. K. JENNE. Reel for Type Writing Machines. No. 229,707. Patented July6,1880.

\ N.PETERS, PrmTO-LITHOGRAPMER, WASHINGTON, D O,

model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2, W. K. JENNE. Reel for Type Writing Machines.No. 229,707. Patented July 6,1880.

N. PHERs. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHEN. WASHINGTON. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLTAM K. JENNE, OF ILION, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO E. REMINGTON &

Y SONS, OF SAME PLACE.

REEL FOR TYPE-WRITING MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 229,707, dated July 6,1880.

' Application filed April 24, 1880. (ModeL) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, W. K. JENNE, of Ilion, in the county of Herkimer andState of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Reels forType-Writers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in a reel of novel construction, to be used inconnection with typewriters, whereby the inkedribbon used with thesemachines can be more readily removed and replaced without soiling thefingers, and whereby, also, the reel can be made to serve temporarily asa spool, when it is desired to change for a brief period the color ofthe ink used, all as hereinafter more fully set forth.

Figure 1 is an end elevation of my improved reel attached to thebed-plate of a type-writer as it is to be used in removing or replacingthe ink-ribbon. Fig. 2 is a side elevation taken at right angles toFig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the reel, with a portion of themachine shown in section, illustrating the method of using the reel as asubstitute for one of the spools ordinarlly used; and Figs. 4 and 5 aresectional views, showing, in detail,the construction ofportions of thereel and the ribbonholder used therewith.

As is well known, the ink used in type-writers is supplied by means of aribbon which is saturated withthe ink of any desired color, which ribbonis wound upon two spools suitably mounted below the bed-plate of themachine, and which spools are provided with. suitable gear so connectedwith the operating parts of the machine as to wind the ribbonalternately from one to the other of these spools, the ribbon passingthrough guides, which cause it to travel across the space where the typestrike to imprint the characters upon the paper. For illustration, thespools are indicated in the drawings by the letter S, and the bed-plateof the machine by the letter P, only so much of these being shown as isnecessary to illustrate the manner of applying or using my improvedreel.

The reel heretofore used has consisted of a .shaft havingacrank at oneend and a crossarm at the other, this cross-arm being provided angles,thus standing parallel with the shaft,

these studs formingtheribbon-holder, on which the ink-ribbon is wound.One of the studs is made adjustable inthe cross-arm, so that after theribbon has been wound thereon it can be moved nearer to the other stud,thus loosening the ribbon, so it can be removed without unwinding it,and so that the loose roll of ribbon can be slipped thereon preparatoryto transferring it to the spools of the machine. With this style of reelthe inked ribbon has to be taken in the hand, and as theinkis easilytransferred from the ribbon it is very annoyin g to the person using themachine. The object of my invention is to obviate this annoyance and atthe same time to so construct and apply my improved reel that it can beused in lieu of one of the bobbins when it is desired to temporarilychange the color of the ink used.

My improved reel, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 5, consists of a shaft,L, Fig. 5, having a crank, G, at one end, and a pair of clampingjaws, EF, at the opposite end, the jaw E being rigidly secured to the shaft,and the jaw F being secured to the jaw E by a clampingscrew, f, as shownmore clearly in Fig. 5, the object of these clamping-jaws being to holdthe ribbon-holder D, on which, in this case, the inked ribbon is to bewound.

The shaft L is mounted in a sleeve, A which is supported on a standard,A, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, this standard at its lower end beingof such a width as to fit into the slot of the bed-plate P of themachine, through which the ribbon passes, as shown in Fig. 1, the lowerend of the standard projecting below the bed-plate, and being providedon opposite sides with lugs or shoulders a a, to engage against theunder side of the plate P, as represented in Figs. 1 and 3.

On the back side of the standard A, a short distance above the lugs a,there is a projecting lug, m, in which is fitted a thumb-screw, b afriction or clamping plate, 0, and a washer, n, being slipped onto thislug m before the screw b is inserted, and the lower portion of 5 A,which serves to hold the standard A in an upright position when securedin place, and which is readily done by turning it sidewise until theT-head formed by the lugs a a will enter the oblong slot in thebed-plate, when it is swung around, so that the foot-piece A will restupon the bed-plate, as indicated in Fig. 2, when it is fastened securelyin place by merely tightening the screw b.

In order to enable the ribbon to be wound and unwound, and to betransferred from the reel to the machine. or vice versa, without soilingthe fingers, I provide a ribbon-holder, D, of any suitable construction,so it can be held by the clamping-jaws of the reel on which to wind theribbon. Ordinarily this ribbonholder may consist of a simple piece ofpasteboard or any similar cheap material, somewhat longer than theribbon is wide, so that while one end is held by the jaws of the reelits opposite end will project beyond the ribbon, as shown in Fig. 2, andthus enable it to be handled without 'touching the ribbon. While thisform of ribbon-holder will answer for ordinary use in transferring theribbon to or from the spools on the machine, yet when it is desired touse the reel temporarily as a substitute for one of the spools, ashereinafter explained, it will be better to make the ribbon-holder of apiece of pasteboard doubled, so it can be swelled out, as represented inFigs. 1 and 3, and made to assume more nearly the form of a cylinder, inorder that the ribbon, as it is drawn from the reel by the spool at theopposite side of the machine, as shown in Fig. 3, will be drawn off moreevenly and with regularity; or, if preferred, the ribbonholder may bemade in the form of an openended cylinder, with a flat piece projectingfrom its center at one or both ends for the jaws to take hold of, whilethe ribbon itself will be wound upon the cylindrical portion. In eithercase the ribbon-holder I) is to be provided with one or more small booksor points, 1', Fig. 4, upon which to fasten the end of the ribbon.

The reel is to be used as follows: Suppose it be desired to remove anexhausted ribbon from the machine. In such case the reel is to besecured to the bed-plate P, as shown in Fig. 1, when the end of theribbon will be released from the spool at the opposite side of themachine and be fastened to the book 1" of the ribbon-holder D; afterwhich it is only necessary to turn the reel by its crank 0, which willdraw the ribbon oil the spool S and wind it on the ribbon-holder D.

To place another ribbon in the machine, the ribbon-holder will beremoved from the reel, and one having a freshly-inked ribbon on it willbe substituted. The loose end of the ribbon will then be fastened to thespool S in the usual manner, when, by turning the spool (which isprovided with means for that purpose) the ribbon will be drawn off theribbonholder and be wound on the spool; after which its loose end willbe carried across the machine and secured to the spool at the oppositeside, as usual.

In case it is desired to temporarily use a ribbon having ink of adifferent color, it can be done without removing the one being usedentirely from the machine, as follows: The reel in such case is to besecured to the table T, on which the machine is placed, and which isusually below the bed-plate of the machine, as represented in Fig. 3,there being a suitable plate, H, fastened upon the table, to which thereel can be clamped in thesame manner as it is to the bed-plate itself.The ribbon in the machine will have its end released from the spool atthe opposite side and drawn out of the way of the type, after which theribbon from the reel will have its end passed through the guides I andfastened to the spool at the opposite side, when, by operating themachine in the usual way, the temporary ribbon will be drawn by thespool directly from the ribbon-holder, instead of from the other spool,and in this way the reel is made to serve as a spool, thus enabling thecolor to be changed whenever desired, still leaving the ribbonpreviously used wound on one of the spools, ready for use again wheneverneeded.

As the machines are constructed so as to cause the ribbon to move ineither direction at will, it is obvious that the reel, when thus used,may be located either on the right or the left hand side of the machine,according as one or the other spool is nearest empty; and in like mannerit may be located over one or the other of the spools with equalfacility when used to replace the ribbon on the spools, as beforedescribed.

It is obvious that the jaws E F may be made of spring metal, with orwithout a clampingscrew; but as these parts are usually made of castmetal they will naturally be made rigid, as represented, and, besides,by using a clamping-screw or equivalent device the ribbonholder can bemore securely held.

A pair of tweezers or similar implement should be used for fastening andunfastening the ends of the ribbon to and from the ribbonholder and thespools; and as the ribbon-holders are so made as to enable them, withthe ribbon on, to be handled without touching the ribbon with the handat all, it will readily be seen that by my improvement a great annoyanceis obviated, besides the great advantage of temporarily using the reelas a spool when it is desired to temporarily change the color of the inkwhile writing on the same sheet.

The freshly-inked ribbons, instead of being furnished, as at present, ina loose roll, will be furnished ready wound on the ribbon-holder D, sothey can be at once secured to the reel without touching the ribbon.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A reel for usein connection with type.- writers, consisting of a standard, A, havingmounted thereon a crank-shaft, L, provided with the clamping-jaws E F,by which the ribbon-holder D is rigidly held at one end, and provided atits base with the shoulders a and clamping-screw b, for securing it tothe bedplate, substantially as described.

2. A ribbon-reel for type-writers provided with a crank-shaft carrying apair of clamping-jaws, E I, constructed and adapted to hold theribbon-holder D rigidly by grasping it at one end only, substantially asand for the purposes set forth.

bon to be used without removing the previously used or main ribbon fromthe remaining spool, substantially as set forth.

WVILLIAM K. J EN N E.

Witnesses S. ZIMMERMAN, H. H. BENEDICT.

